Carol Stream Resident Brooke Belling to Participate in Walk MS, May 4 in St. Charles

Carol Stream Resident Brooke Belling to Participate in Walk MS, May 4 in St. Charles

Posted By National MS Society, Greater IL Chapter, Community Contributor

Brooke Belling and her grandmother, Patty

Brooke Belling and her grandmother, Patty (Posted By National MS Society, Greater IL Chapter, Community Contributor)

Posted By National MS Society, Greater IL Chapter, Community Contributor

St. Charles, Ill., April 14, 2014 - Brooke Belling has seen firsthand the disabling effects of her grandmother's multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, and on Sunday, May 4, she will take part in Walk MS, the largest annual fundraiser of the National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter. She will be walking at the St. Charles, Ill. location, Pottawatomie Park (8 North Ave.) - one of 11 Walk MS sites statewide. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the Walk begins at 9 a.m. Walk MS brings people together to celebrate the progress and powerful connections made in the movement to end MS and raises funds for critical MS research, programs and services.

Belling's grandmother, Patty, was diagnosed with MS 27 years ago, and although her health has deteriorated, she continues to face each new challenge with high spirits and positivity.

"There has not been one day my grandma has given up on a task, not gotten out of bed or complained about pain or physical restrictions," said Belling. "She has not only faced this disease, but accepted it."

Prior to participating for the first time three years ago, Belling had never even heard of Walk MS. She first learned about it from a friend's Facebook post and was immediately interested in forming her own team in support of her grandmother. Since then, she has continued to increase her team size and efforts using social media, sponsorships and events.

"Our team raised over $4,000 our first year, and I could hardly wait until the next year to do things even bigger and better," said Belling. "Walk MS has inspired me to meet and beat both personal and professional goals, to touch others and be touched by those fighting for a cause close to their heart and to constantly ask myself what more I can be doing."

Belling says that she has learned more about herself through her participation in Walk MS, and she now realizes how having a grandmother with MS has helped her become the person she is today. She looks forward to coming together with her team, The Patty Wagon Team in honor of her grandmother, as they join thousands of participants statewide and hundreds in St. Charles for Walk MS 2014. Together they hope to raise money and awareness that will bring them closer to their goal of a world free of MS.

"I have gained even more respect for those who are living with MS, those who have been generous enough to support this cause in some way and for those working for the National MS Society who serve as great resources for our teams and volunteers."

Last year, more than 12,000 people participated in Walk MS throughout Illinois, raising over $2.7 million for critical MS research, programs and services.

"I've learned that I was given a gift - the ability to walk - that not all people are blessed with," said Belling, who has only faint memories of her grandmother being able to walk. "That gift has allowed me to work tirelessly on improving not only my life, but the lives of others as well."

To find out more about Walk MS 2014 or to register or donate online, contact Samantha Edidin at 312.423.1156 or at samantha.edidin@nmss.org, or visit walkMSillinois.org.

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois and 2.3 million worldwide affected by MS.